Bookmark this page, because you’re going to need these tips on how to tackle sunburns, bug bites, body acne, and more warm weather skin woes this summer.
Summer days mean plenty of time spent outdoors enjoying the gorgeous weather, but all that extra time in the sun can lead to some annoying little skin issues. Whether it’s an increase in breakouts or shiny oil slicks, painful sunburns or itchy bug bites, The Klog is here to help. Read on to learn how to solve your most troublesome summer skin issues.
Sunburn
We know we’ve preached the importance of sunscreen application before, but sometimes, you miss a spot or forget to re-apply. It happens to the best of us! Sunburns can cause a lot of inflammation and pain, so help take some of the sting away with a cool shower and cold cloth compresses on any particularly red areas. If your face is burnt, follow up with a soothing sheet mask (put it in the fridge for 30 minutes before applying), like the Benton Aloe Soothing Mask Pack, which has anti-inflammatory green tea extract and, of course, extra-calming aloe to calm sunburnt skin. Bonus: you can apply any remaining essence in the pack onto sunburnt shoulders and arms for a soothing treat. If one sheet mask isn’t enough? Store Benton’s Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel in the fridge all summer long and gently massage where needed for a hydrating, repairing after-sun soother.
Bug Bites
Hanging outdoors after the sun sets is a welcome invitation for mosquitos to attack, and those pesky bites itch and irritate like no other. If you forgot the bug spray, try an at-home remedy to bring down the bumps. Simply boil a cup of chamomile tea with 2 or 3 tea bags and allow to cool to room temperature, then drain the tea bags of any water and place over the bites for about ten minutes. Chamomile is known to soothe itchiness and irritation, is naturally anti-inflammatory and helps skin repair itself, so bites will heal faster. It’s one of the ingredients found in Re:P Bio Fresh Mask With Real Calming Herb, which is great for calming rosacea and redness in the face, but a drop can be applied to bug bites or any other skin irritations in a pinch.
Oiliness
Even if your skin is normally on the drier side, oily skin can pop up at any time during the summer. To control oil production, it’s important to double-cleanse at night and use light hydrating serums and gels to keep the skin balanced and healthy. Oily skin needs SPF production too, but some formulas may feel too heavy for this skin type. That’s where the Suntique I’m Pure Cica Suncream comes in. Offering SPF 50 PA++++ protection, this physical sunscreen absorbs quickly with a matte, non-greasy finish. It also has centella asiatica and galactomyces ferment filtrate to soothe irritation while moisturizing the skin.
Itchy Scalp
Wearing your hair up all day long or sporting a cute beach hat for hours at a time may seem like more comfortable ways to hang out in the sun, but they can end up resulting in a sweaty, suffocated scalp that may start to feel itchy and irritated. It’s important to use a purifying shampoo in the summertime to keep your scalp and hair healthy. AMH Shampoo contains salicylic acid, which helps exfoliate away dead skin cells and product build-up, and zinc pyrithione to calm any itchiness and keep dandruff away, all while hydrating your hair with vitamin b5, making it the perfect summertime shampoo for a soothed scalp and shiny hair.
Blotchy Self Tanner
You exfoliated, you followed the instructions on the bottle and applied it evenly and still, your faux-tan ended up giving you orange elbows and knees. Don’t fret: baking soda to the rescue. Yes, sodium bicarbonate has been proven effective at removing the stains left behind my self tanner. Simply make a paste with a spoonful of the stuff and a few drops of water, and massage onto the splotchy areas with an exfoliating glove or textured washcloth until the colour starts to dissolve before rinsing away.
Chafing
Warmer days lead to shorter hemlines, and while strutting your stuff in a new sun dress is a great way to make the most of the season, sometimes the friction of your bare legs rubbing together can lead to rough, stinging patches of skin on your inner thighs. Thankfully, there are many remedies available to prevent and treat chafing. For one, you can try wearing bike shorts (a must for me when I’m cycling in the city) or Bandelettes, which are made specifically to prevent thigh rub. If you’d prefer to avoid extra layers, the brand Megababe has a product called Thigh Rescue that resembles a deodorant stick and is made with nourishing oils to hydrate and prep the skin, forming a thin, anti-friction barrier.
Body Acne
You know the dreaded moment when you want to wear a strappy tank or backless swimsuit and suddenly notice a breakout across your chest or back. It’s a common occurrence in summertime, and is usually a result of bacteria and sweat becoming trapped on the skin underneath non-breathable fabrics. Your best course of action is to use a gentle, fragrance-free body wash in the shower to cleanse these areas of any breakout-causing nasties. After drying off, treat the area with a blemish-fighting exfoliation pad, like Cosrx One Step Original Clear Pads, which contain willow bark water and betaine salicylicate to dissolve oil and clear breakouts without drying out your skin. In addition to these treatments, try showering before bed and wearing natural fibers, like cotton, as often as possible to allow the skin time to breathe and heal.